r/digitalnomad

I've bee nomading across Europe for years now and people almost always hit me with the 'where are you from' and I don't mind telling them, but it practically always turns into a political discussion I never agreed to be a part of. I'm from a place where talking politics is taboo and reserved for rare conversations with close friends and family, so it's still always mindboggling why strangers feel entitled to having that conversation out of the blue.

If I shut it down it makes me look like I have an unsavory opinion, but I literally just don't want to discuss politics in unnecessary settings. I'm not a spokesperson or a walking passport, there's so many better things to talk about.

Hello!
I've been DNing for a while and want to settle down. I've dreamed of moving to Canada for years and now an opportunity to become a resident opened up.

I am into videogame design, live music, animation, and other nerdy things. I'm also into AI development and sofware engineering, and love connecting with other entrepreneurs and DNs.

Montreal (from what I've heard) has better culture but I'm scared of the language barrier (I do not speak French) and the weather (I'm from a warm climate). Vancouver has access to nature and closeness to the US. I want my hobbies to include camping and hiking at some point, but I'm afraid that the community there might be too "sterile" or corporate.. so it might be harder to make friends and form community. But this might just be presumptuous.

So where would you go? Does anyone have experience living in one/both? Where would you recommend moving?

EDIT: I am looking for a home base, which I can go on nomad stints from

Hi everyone! I'm really looking for perspectives from people that have lived in both. I love expat energy & entrepreneurship. It's great being around people I feel similarities with. My perfect day is one of culture, fitness, work, and a bit of nature. I tend to design my trips around good gyms and coworks and access to adventure when I want.

I've spent a month in both Medellin and Mexico City, and want to hear what other folks thought.

So far (and please add or disagree)

Medellin wins:

Condensed Expat energy. Easier to make initial friends
Affordability
Greener/jungle vibes
Weather

CDMX wins:

Safety
Access to creative arts (museums, hand-crafted culture)
Food scene
Dating safety
Museums
Nature parks
Cowork accessibility
Weekend trip accessibility

You can only spend it on housing. Where would it be?

And what changes do you think will stick if, and when, you return to a more structured life?

When you arrive in a new city and don’t know the local food scene yet, how do you usually choose where to eat?

I’m in Budapest, and in the central areas it can be hard to tell which “traditional Hungarian food” places are actually good and which ones are mostly made for tourists.

Do you usually trust Google Maps, Reddit, locals, food blogs, or just walk around and decide in the moment?

I've been nomading for ~3 years and usually run a tight ship, but one time I locked myself out of my Air BnB about an hour before I was due to hike up Acatengango (volcano in Guatemala). Had to climb through a window Spiderman style and still to this day don't quite know how I did it. What's yours?

Airbnb private rooms in any decent city have crossed the point where

the math stops making sense for full-time nomads. Hostels are fine

until they're not and at some point you need a door, quiet, and not

sharing a bathroom with 11 people.

I've tried Facebook groups, Workaway, local nomad Slack channels. All

of it works occasionally and none of it works reliably.

What's actually working for you right now? Specifically for stays

longer than a weekend but shorter than a month — that middle ground

seems hardest to crack.

Asking because I've been going back and forth on this for years.

I am packing my bag and won't be back for a year to visit. I'm stressing out. All the stuff I want to pack is not fitting 🤣 and I like to wear nicer things. My stuff is all merino wool/silk/linen at this point and I like makeup and skincare as I'm in my 40s I need it 🙃. What do you all do? I have a 26 checkin bag and a cotopaxi allpa 28L. This packing for all seasons is almost impossible.

I literally just put my daily contacts into my bag and they took up so much space. How do you all do this?

Been traveling for almost a year now. Half in Central America half in Asia, and a couple months in Brazil. I’m in colombia now and the heat and humidity in Cartagena have really gotten to me and I feel like maybe I’m just burnt out. And reading about all the horror stories of crime in Medellin feels bad. And the thought of continuing overland on my journey southward through Ecuador and peru also feels so tiring.

I’m now thinking of flying to a South American city where I can just chill out. I don’t have to stay in colombia. Hoping to find one that is pretty safe, has a good dating scene, affordable, and has enough stuff to do for a month. Also not blazingly hot this time of year. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks.

Edit: did a lil quick research too. Is Mendoza or Cordoba any good for this?

I need to bring Adderall & Lamotrigine.

I’m American. I’ll visit Central/Eastern Europe: definitely Poland, for about 2 months; Serbia & Romania; probably Hungary & Slovakia; maybe Czechia & others, depending on medication rules. All those are in the EU and Schengen Area EXCEPT SERBIA.

I’m trying to almost max out a tourist visa, so it would be about 90 days.

Does anyone have a guide for making documentation make sense?

I think I understand the following:

1. The entire Schengen Area will let you stay 90 days in a row. However, you can only apply for a 30-day supply of Adderall, for just 4 countries, if you have certain papers.
2. You can also get individual documentation for specific countries. PL will also only let you bring a 30-day supply of Adderall if you have certain papers, even though you could spend all 90 days there if you wanted to.
3. Serbia has its own rules. It will let you bring in 15 days’ adderall if you have even more documentation.
4. Getting D-type visas in PL is taking so much extra time now that I couldn’t count on applying & getting notified I could re-enter before I’d have to come home.

Questions:
A. Am I correct about 1-4 above?
B. Is there some way I can get approved for multiple 30-day periods? I can’t mail Adderall in.
C. Is a tourist visa best if you’re self-employed? (The main project I’ll be working on in the region won’t be paid until well after I’m back home.)
C. What documentation, if any, do I need for Lamotrigine? I can’t find it listed in the paperwork (but I also can’t find words related to Adderall in a big, Polish list, and I know they care about that).

Edit, Question D: Is it true you have to physically mail paperwork abroad, get it physically mailed back to your home, and then bring it with you to the airport? That seems like it would take way longer than a month for them to handle.

My situation: I grew up in Oregon and my mom still lives there, which is currently my mailing address. I work in Alaska 7 months a year and travel overseas the rest of the time. I only spend 2–3 weeks a year in Oregon. No mortgage, no lease, no property, no financial ties there at all.

I’m still an Oregon resident for tax purposes, though, and paying five figures in state income tax annually feels absurd given how little time I actually spend there. I don’t live there.

I’m looking into domiciling in Texas or Florida instead, but I keep running into mixed reviews about CMRA (commercial mail receiving agency) addresses, some institutions accept them, some don’t. I’ve looked at Escapees and SavvyNomad, but experiences seem inconsistent.

There have to be hundreds of thousands of expats/nomads who’ve solved this. Would love pointers from anyone who’s actually done it…which state, which mail service, and what worked (or didn’t) for banks, DMV, voter registration, etc.

Many thanks.

I’m a NY resident and marine engineer working 4 month sea hitches (deployed ~230 days abroad this year). I’m ending my NY apartment lease at the end of August before deploying through to end of December. Upon returning, I plan to explore no income tax states like NV and TN rather than resettling in NY.

Looking for advice on:

• Mail Forwarding / Domicile Services: Recommended mail-forwarding or virtual mailbox services to handle paperwork and begin building an out-of-state presence while deployed this fall?
• Severing NY Ties: Practical steps for clearly abandoning NY domicile without immediately settling in another state? (Although I'd be open to renting a room for like $700 a month just for the sake of beginning the transition)
• 2026 NYS Taxes: Any strategies or specific forms to dispute or minimize NYS income tax given that over half the year was spent working outside the country?

Appreciate insights from other mariners, digital nomads, or former NY residents- thanks!

Hi all!

I am wondering what do you use for health insurance as usa citizen who have been nomading outside the USA, when you come back visiting the USA?

I have Safety Wing and they only give coverage for 2 weeks if i visited home in the usa.

I kinda want to stay longer than two weeks this time maybe for a month or two but I don’t want to risk it if i get sick or get into accident since the usa is notorious in charging people for medical treatments.

I checked Genki but so expensive. It’s 400 euros per month for my age bracket.

Wondering if there’s other option out there.

Thanks!

It is the first time I'd be travelling utterly alone, I want to spend 3 weeks to a month with the goal of having mental clarity and peace, I work remotely, all I need is nature, a gym, sim card and data (as I won't be using wifi of the accomodation) and a grocery store and overall a place that is relatively safe for women. I will be staying in a single room hotel or studio as I do not want to share the accomodation. I don't want to be in the middle of the influencers hub and parties but also I don't want complete isolation. So I am thinking Bali or Vietnam or Malaysia, penang.

Is 2000$ enough or I need more for a month.

If you can recommend other places within the same range of expenses, pls go ahead, thanks.

I plan on travelling to Laos for 3 weeks to work in October. Mostly to remain Tax free from Thailand. Dangerously close to the 6month cutoff where I'll become a tax resident. Not ready to make that shift yet.

What is your experience working there, how is the WiFi?

I need the ability to remote connect to a PC in my works office in Bucharest, and latency could become a huge problem.

Thinking mainly Luang prabang (preferred) or Vientieng if essential

Any tips, knowledge of internet speed, or recs for co-working will be hugely appreciated.

Hello wonderful people 🫡

As per the title, I am done with the 90 days, the visa runs, exhausted with going from one place to the other not because I want to, but because my visa will expire soon and PR is hard or impossible to get.

I want a base, a home. I am Mexican and make $1200 USD monthly remotely. I don't want to live in México ever again, where could I stay forever? Please help?

I’m 22M, graduated with a degree in accounting and finance last year and working in accounting for a big bank. My goal has always to be a digital nomad, so I’m just wondering if anyone out there doing what I’m doing has managed to do it as I’d love to hear your story of how you made it happen. Thanks in advance!

I don’t hear people talk about Istanbul a lot anymore. Seems like it used to be popular but not as much these days. Has anyone been recently and can share their thoughts?

What do you prefer to work? Lifestyle and foods?